


Collectables

by Ordinarily



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Avengers Feels, Avengers: End Game, Drabble Sequence, F/M, Gen, Infinity Gems, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-03-24
Packaged: 2019-10-12 17:46:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17472098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ordinarily/pseuds/Ordinarily
Summary: Six stones.





	1. Time, Reality, Space

**Author's Note:**

> ***Disclaimer: this was written before Endgame however it is a little bit spoilery... read at your own risk.

Steve holds his breath as the world glows green.

Suddenly, it’s Brooklyn, 1942. He knows the coordinates of the final Hydra stronghold. 

He’s right in front of the tower. The city is bustling behind him as he pulls open the doors and makes a beeline for the control room. He’s not sure exactly what time it is, but if this is a second chance…

“Steve?” 

His heart squeezes and combusts in his chest as he turns around.

“What are you doing—Steve, you're—are you crying?”

He runs to her, lifts her, and spins her around. “I am never letting you go,” he tells her, holding her close.

He’s never seen Peggy look quite as perplexed in his life, but he doesn’t miss the tiny quirk of her lips or the way she presses into him when he kisses her.

“I can’t explain it, but I’m not meant to be on that plane, Peggy.” She plugs in the coordinates as he lists them off, dumbfounded when they check out. "Plant a bomb on it, send in a troop, don’t let it get to the city but don’t put me on it.”

She opens her mouth, obviously to argue but he speaks again.

“Do you trust me?”

Peggy sends a troop to the plane, then looks at him expectantly.

He nods enthusiastically. “Also, tell Stark to get his ass there. There’s something he’s going to want on that plane. Don’t let it leave the base.” 

“Yes, sir,” Peggy teases, and comms Howard. 

"How about we go dancing Friday, hm?” Steve says excitedly, hands on her shoulders. He can’t stop touching her. 

Peggy laughs as she spins in her chair, and god damn, if it isn’t the most beautiful sound in the world. “I don’t know what happened to you, but I can’t say I’m opposed.”

“Just say yes.”

She grins. “Yes, Steve. I would love to go dancing with you.” 

———

The world glows red for Peter before he can shake it off.

He sits in his room, a letter in his hand addressed to him.

_If you’re reading this, that probably means bad news for me. I’m sorry, kid. I was supposed to be there for you._ _I just want to let you know that I talked to Pepper about this and she… well, first of all, she told me this wasn’t a good idea, but then she came around. She just doesn’t like to think about this kind of stuff._

_Anyway, half of it is yours. Move somewhere nice, buy some new tech, take your aunt on a vacation. She works hard. Spoil your friends, get that Michelle girl something, build a lab. Actually, you know what, I hereby leave my old lab to you. Knock yourself out._ _I know this stuff doesn’t make up for anything, but Pepper and I want you to have it. If there’s anything you need, you just call her, okay?_

_Whatever you decide to do with your life is going to be great. You’re a hero to all of us. I am so, so proud of you, Pete._

_Go get em, Spidey._

_Tony._

_PS. School is a waste of time, don’t do drugs, and whatever Cap tells you, do the opposite._

Peter manages a small smile as teardrops soak through the paper and smudge the ink. He really should be more careful with something so important to him but his chest physically hurts and he can’t do much else besides shake and sob. 

He calls Pepper.

———

Thor screams through the blue glow of the world.

He crash-lands in Asgard. The sky mirrors the Bifröst, casts rainbow light on the ruins of his home. 

He wanders through rubble and ash, trying to picture where the grand hotel once was, towering and booming at all hours of the day. In his mind’s eye, he sees the shuttle stations, the armoury shops, the bridges and the palace.  

The mountains look bigger than they did before.

Across one of the larger bodies of water is a shack-like abode that peaks Thor’s interest.

He sloshes through the water, then swims when his feet no longer reach the bottom.

When he reaches the front door, he knocks hesitantly, wary of the home's sturdiness. There’s no answer. Thor’s not really sure what he expected. Someone who made a miraculous recovery, a villager they missed on their sweep, perhaps a civilian who had hidden in a bunker of some sort during Ragnarök.

Finally, he settles on the most plausible explanation: the structure must have been lucky enough to survive the fires. He forces the door open and steps inside, deciding he wouldn’t mind dwelling here for a short time. Just until he figures things out. 

Bottles line the kitchen shelves, the furniture is modest. He steps into the main area, hoping for a quaint bed and a couple of blankets.

Instead, he comes face to face with a sword-wielding Valkyrie. 

Thor puts his hands up in alarm as she lowers the sword defeatedly. “For Odin’s sake, Thor!” 

“How did you—“ Thor starts to say, when someone else walks into the room.

At least Loki has the decency to look remorseful.

———


	2. Power, Mind, and Soul

The world glows purple before Natasha knows what to do.  

Clint is in front of her, eyes a shade of blue she’s sure doesn’t belong to him. More than that are the bodies that litter the floor around him. Nat tries her best not to look surprised—this isn’t Hawkeye—but she’s certain her expression betrays her. _He’s still Clint._

His bow moves out of sight as he turns to her, daring her to say something with those blues. She does.

“I’m sorry." 

Clint falters. “Yeah,” he says. “Me too.”

———

The world glows yellow as Vision’s eyes blink open. 

He comes to in a sort of calm, muddled manner. His eyes land on Bruce first, who gives him a stunned smile: “How do you feel?” 

Vision sounds surprised when he answers, “Fine.” The last thing he remembers is pain so excruciating he wished he were dead.

He sits up slowly and looks around the room until he spots her rising from her seat in apprehension. Her eyes look worried but there’s a small smile on her lips. 

“Wanda.” 

“Hi, Vis,” she says and all at once she’s standing next to him, holding his hand.

Vision looks for the right words as Bruce walks over from a monitor, wringing out his hands.  “Um, I hate to ruin this but actually… the fight’s not over. We need you.”

Vision looks between the two of them and then at the hologram of the stone on the monitor. “I’ll do it. Whatever you need.”

——— 

Through the orange glow of the world, Scott sees a million little apparitions. 

Maybe it’s more like several millions.

Suddenly, he doesn’t feel so alone.

He thinks he sees Hank for a second, and then it’s Hope, but he can’t be sure. 

He _must_ be dead. 

The orange gets too bright—a blinding sunset that suffocates his sense—and he’s forced to squeeze his eyes shut until— 

He’s no longer weightless. 

He chances a glance at the world: A road. Houses. Trees. 

Why is that car on fire? 

Why are all _those_ cars on fire?

Then he’s running. He looks for bodies to drag out of the scraps and a phone to call for help.

There is neither.

The further he runs, the more he’s starting to think he missed the apocalypse.  

The world is in ruins.


End file.
